World #1, Austin Krajicek, joins the show for the second time. We recorded from the hotel lobby in Miami where Austin had a few days off due to weather. Listen to my previous interview with Austin here: https://www.thetennistribe.com/austin-krajicek-interview/ We discuss how he spent his off days, book recommendations, hotel choices in Miami, the no-ad/10-point breaker format, and his 2024 season so far. Austin and his partner, Ivan Dodig, have made one final this year but have had some very clo...
Mar 28, 2024•23 min•Ep. 167
This conversation with Australian Open Champion, Matt Ebden, focuses on the state of professional doubles and where it might go over the next several years. Helping to make pro doubles more popular is one of my passions and missions for Tennis Tribe and this podcast, so I was excited to chat with Matt about this topic. Matt is the 3rd ranked doubles player on the ATP tour, a 3-time grand slam champion, and reached a career-high of #39 in singles. He is also on the ATP Player's Council and involv...
Mar 19, 2024•23 min•Ep. 166
Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez are the number 7 & 8 ranked doubles players in the world. They recently made the finals at the WTA 1000 in Dubai and followed it up with a WTA 500 victory in San Diego. This conversation with them and their coach, Carlos Martinez, took place a day after their round 1 win at Indian Wells. We chat about that victory and their season so far. I asked them: What they've learned about each other over the last two years as a doubles pairing. What Carlos has ...
Mar 16, 2024•30 min•Ep. 165
Tereza Mihalíková is the 56th-ranked doubles player on the WTA Tour. Tennis Tribe writer, Hanlon Walsh, and I spoke with her at the ATX Open where she partnered with Yanina Wickmayer during her off day. This is a short conversation where we ask about her win vs Sloane Stephens & Peyton Stearns, 4-6 6-2 10-2. Tereza played a near-perfect tiebreaker and was super active at the net. We discussed the match up against two "singles players" and how it differs from playing doubles players. We also ...
Mar 15, 2024•17 min•Ep. 164
Sophie Chang is the 82nd ranked doubles player on the WTA Tour. She made the 3rd round of the 2023 US Open with Alycia Parks and has 1 WTA & 21 ITF doubles titles. I sat down with Sophie at the 2024 ATX Open where she lost a close first round match (7-6 7-6) to the top seeds alongside Angela Kulikov. In this long conversation, we speak about the match, on court attitude, doubles strategy, and more. You'll learn: Why Sophie & Angela play 2-back on her Angela's second serve - something clu...
Mar 07, 2024•49 min•Ep. 163
Bibiane Schoofs (Netherlands) is the 92nd-ranked doubles player on the WTA Tour. Her partner at the ATX Open, Katarzyna Kawa (Poland), is ranked #93 in doubles and top 200 in singles. Schoofs and Kawa made the finals in Austin. This episode includes two interviews with the finalists, after their quarterfinal and semifinal victories. We spoke about each matchup, including the different conditions throughout the week. They partnered together for the first time in Austin and made the deadline by on...
Mar 05, 2024•17 min•Ep. 162
Olivia Gadecki (deuce) is a 21-year-old Australian ranked 77 in the world in doubles and 140 in singles. Olivia Nicholls (ad) is the #81 ranked doubles player on the WTA Tour. The Olivia's won the 2024 ATX Open. This episode includes our conversation from Saturday after they got a walkover in their semifinal match, followed by a few quick questions after their final victory before they had to rush to the airport for flights to their next events. We discussed their quarterfinal win, how they used...
Mar 05, 2024•28 min•Ep. 161
This episode includes two post-match interviews from the ATX Open with top seeds, Nadiia Kichenok and Oksana Kalashnikova. I chatted with them after their round one and quarterfinal wins in Austin. Nadiia and Oksana are both inside the top 55 on the WTA doubles tour. You'll learn: Why they used more I-formation in their first match, but less in the quarterfinals. How they adjusted to different match conditions - from cold & windy one day to sunny and hot a few days later. Details about a cru...
Mar 03, 2024•16 min•Ep. 160
This is the first in a series of post-match interviews with doubles players from the ATX Open, in Austin, Texas. Maya Joint (Australia) and Sabina Zeynalova (Ukraine) won their first-round match 6-7 6-4 10-4 and chatted with me after. Sabina is a junior at the University of Texas where she plays on the women's tennis team. Maya (17) plans to join her in the fall of '24 as a freshman. We spoke about how the cold, windy match conditions affected their strategy. They also shared a few things they l...
Mar 02, 2024•9 min•Ep. 159
As we dive into the mental side of doubles over the next several weeks, I wanted to share 3 mental myths that many doubles players believe. Join the newsletter for more mental lessons. Once you stop believing these and reframe your mindset, you'll be a better doubles player. Great players don't get nervous. Losing a point is bad. If you miss or get beat down the line, it's your fault you lost the point. I'll explain how to think about each of these myths differently, so you play better under pre...
Feb 28, 2024•17 min•Ep. 158
Christo van Rensburg, former world #5 in doubles and tournament director of the WTA 250 ATX Open, joins the show for the third time. In this episode, we preview the 2024 ATX Open and learn a few new doubles lessons from Christo. The ATX Open is entering year two on the WTA Calendar, and fans can expect some exciting changes at the event. The field includes Vika Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Danielle Collins, Taylor Townsend, Caty McNally, and more. After previewing this year's tournament, we dive i...
Feb 21, 2024•47 min•Ep. 157
Will Blumberg is the #93 ranked doubles player on the ATP Tour. He was a 10-time All-American at North Carolina and made the finals of the 2024 Dallas Open where this conversation was recorded. Will and I sat down on his day off in Dallas to discuss his career, the pro doubles tour, and strategy. You'll learn: Why Will and his partner, Rinky Hijikata, switched return sides after the 1st set - I almost never see this at the pro level. How he picks up his energy for 10-point tiebreakers . What adj...
Feb 17, 2024•19 min•Ep. 156
Neal Skupski is one of the best doubles players in the world over the last several years. He's a 3-time Wimbledon Champion, winning 2 mixed titles (2021, 22) and 1 men's title (2023), former world #1, and a recent Australian Open mixed doubles finalist. He is currently the #8 ranked doubles player on the ATP Tour. I spoke with Neal on a day off for him at the 2024 Dallas Open. In this episode, we dive deep into his practice drills and routines, including specific tactics that apply to real match...
Feb 14, 2024•27 min•Ep. 155
This is an AMA (ask me anything) episode on net play strategy. My new Masterclass on net play strategy for doubles is live and on sale through Sunday so I wanted to answer your questions on the topic to kick off the launch. I answer 7 of your questions about net play including: What to do when you're playing lobbers and don't have opportunities at the net? How to improve your volley reactions. Tactics for mixed doubles for the lady at the net. If the ball lands around the service line, do you cl...
Feb 07, 2024•34 min•Ep. 154
Quinn Gleason is the WTA's #107 ranked doubles player. She reached the top 100 for the first time in 2023. Quinn played college tennis at Notre Dame. I chatted with Quinn during the Australian Open while she was wrapping up some off-season training. In this conversation, we discuss the balance of managing a WTA and ITF schedule since Quinn qualifies for some but not all WTA events. We also discuss Quinn's off-season preparations and the impact of the ever-changing ITF and WTA landscape on player...
Jan 31, 2024•44 min•Ep. 153
Peter Lebedevs joins the show for the 3rd time as the Dallas Open enters year three as an ATP 250 tournament. Peter is the tournament director for the tournament and an accomplished tennis coach as well. You'll get a sneak peek of what to expect from this year's Dallas Open and a look at the 2025 event which is moving to the Dallas Cowboys practice facility along with an upgrade to an ATP 500. Nearly all the top American men's players will be at this year's tournament: Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul...
Jan 24, 2024•32 min•Ep. 152
Styrling Strother is an innovative tennis coach who trains junior players and adults to transform the way they practice and think about the match court. He is a Tennis Performance Trainer (TPT) with the International Tennis Performance Association (ITPA), a PTR Professional Coach, a best-selling author, and the founder of Styrling Strother Tennis, a player development program located in Cary, North Carolina. This episode will totally shift your practice habits, and inject fun into your doubles m...
Jan 17, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 151
Joel Myers is a USPTA Elite Professional tennis coach, the 2021 USPTA San Diego Pro of the Year, and the tennis director at Coronado Tennis Center in San Diego, California. He also is a former Division 1 college player from Australia with professional aspirations before injuries ended his career early. Joel also has nearly 120,000 followers on Instagram ( @joel_myers_tennis ), where he shares his coaching advice. In this episode, Joel and I discuss club-level doubles tactics, from common positio...
Jan 05, 2024•52 min•Ep. 150
Ben Rothenberg is one of the most prolific and influential tennis journalists of the last several decades. He covered tennis for the New York Times for over 10 years, has contributed to The Racquet , and has been featured on BBC, CNN, and many other major news networks. I wanted to have Ben on to talk doubles and discuss his new book, Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power & Her Voice . I recently listened to Ben on Craig Shapiro’s podcast where he said he thinks “doubles is in a posi...
Jan 05, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 149
Jonathan Stokke is a former tennis player at Duke where he was an All-American in doubles. He played in the US Open twice and coached at Duke for several years after playing. He now resides in South Carolina where he coaches junior players and adults. I wanted to have Jonathan on the podcast because of a lesson I saw him give at Tennis Con 7. He's one of those great coaches who is crystal clear with his instruction and makes his lessons actionable for those who watch. His Instagram account has o...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 148
Carlos Martinez is the coach of top 20 WTA doubles players, Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez. He also coaches WTA singles star Karolina Pliskova. Carlos was a top junior player in Colombia, where he grew up in Bogota, before playing college tennis for division 1 teams, Western Michigan and Jackson State. Carlos is one of the best mental coaches I’ve ever been around and you’ll learn a lot from this discussion that will help you become mentally stronger on the court. We discuss: The best ...
Dec 13, 2023•52 min•Ep. 147
The ability to transition to the net in doubles is an underrated skill to have. It's also something doubles players rarely practice. This episode covers common mistakes I see on the half-volley and the approach shot, as well as several drills you can use to practice your transition game. You'll learn the best ways to serve & volley, return & volley, and get to the net during a rally. Support the show by shopping through these links: Tennis Tribe's 40+ Best Tennis Gifts Shop on Amazon Sho...
Dec 06, 2023•17 min•Ep. 146
This is a rebroadcast of my interview with Craig O'Shannessy from October 2020. Craig is the strategy analyst for Wimbledon, the ATP Tour, and the New York Times. He has also been the strategy coach for Novak Djokovic and currently works with 4 players inside the top 100 including world #8 Matteo Berrettini. You can follow him on his website, Brain Game Tennis . ----- **Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox **...
Nov 29, 2023•50 min•Ep. 145
In this episode, I interview one of the greatest tennis coaches ever. Coach Rick Macci has coached tennis for over 40 years. He's helped five players reach world #1 including Serena and Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati. If his name sounds familiar, it may be because Rick was portrayed by Jon Bernthal in the movie "King Richard". Rick shares several entertaining stories from when he coached these players, the type of mindset he encourages players to adopt, and ...
Nov 22, 2023•58 min•Ep. 144
In doubles, you'll often play against a team with one of three different game styles. Pushers - they lob endlessly, never miss, and make you beat yourself. Attackers - they serve and volley, get to the net, and apply relentless pressure. Baseliners - they play straight-up doubles, usually 1-up 1-back, with really good groundstrokes that force errors and make you afraid to poach. In this episode, I cover how to beat each of these types of teams, including recent examples where I saw it work. I'll...
Nov 16, 2023•21 min•Ep. 143
Kirsten Flipkens is a former WTA player who retired earlier in 2023 and is now coaching. I spoke with her at the WTA Finals where she was coaching Demi Schuurs & Desirae Krawczyk. We chatted about: Her transition from player to coach. Doubles tips for club players. How to improve drop shots and slices. Her favorite doubles drill. Mixed doubles strategy. There's also a brief interruption/guest appearance by Ons Jabeur... she was walking through the hotel lobby and took the microphone from Kir...
Nov 08, 2023•18 min•Ep. 142
This is a conversation with Demi Schuurs from the WTA Finals in Cancun. Demi partnered with Desirae Krawczyk and I spoke with her between her first and second matches. We discussed how she spent her days off in Cancun, including her gym routine. I asked her how she's had so much doubles success with different partners. This is her 5th consecutive WTA Finals with four different partners. Demi made a surprise appearance in the singles draw of the WTA 1000 tournament in Guadalajara and she tells us...
Nov 07, 2023•19 min•Ep. 141
Dan Kiernan is the coach of 2023 US Open Champion Gaby Dabrowski, ATP doubles team Lloyd Glasspool & Harri Heliovaara, a podcast host, and a former podcast guest from earlier this year. Dan chatted with me and Tennis Tribe doubles writer, Hanlon Walsh, from the WTA Finals in Cancun a day after Gaby and her partner, Erin Routliffe, beat the top seeds, Coco Gauff & Jessica Pegula, in straight sets. In this conversation, we discuss the match, the game plan, and a specific phrase Dan told th...
Nov 05, 2023•25 min•Ep. 140
This is another interview with Elise Mertens and Storm Hunter from the WTA Finals. This time I spoke with the 2nd seeds after their second match victory over Melichar-Martinez and Perez. They won the match 7-5 6-4 over a two-day period and numerous rain delays. We discussed how they handled the delays, as well as a tactic I noticed their opponents using on 2nd serves and how they handled that. I also asked them about playing in the windy conditions, especially Elise who likes to use the lob ofte...
Nov 04, 2023•8 min•Ep. 139
This is another interview from the WTA Finals and it's a great one. We chatted with 2020 US Open Champions, Vera Zvonareva and Laura Siegmund, after their 3-set victory over Krejcikova and Siniakova. We discussed the rollercoaster of a match where they lost a two-break-lead in the 2nd set as well as two match points in the tiebreaker. I asked how they were able to stay focused after the momentum changed. Laura is one of the most aggressive net players in the game with next-level instincts (super...
Nov 02, 2023•13 min•Ep. 138
